More on Last Weekend

We're 50% of the way to the fundraising goal after some sweeeet donations this week! The deadline to donate is August 27th. Click here to do the damn thing.

Crossing the finish line on Sunday.... This is also my WWE entrance

Split times for last Sundays Music City Triathlon were posted. Let's break it down (All rankings are for my age group, Male 25-29): 

• Overall Time: 1:25:12 (13th out of 39) - My goal was to finish in 1:30, so I was happy with that.

• Swim: 8:23 (11th) - I predicted 8:50. Still the swim wasn't as easy, partly due to the river current, so I've since added an open water swim to my workout. Tuesday mornings at Percy Priest Lake. Here is a pic I took on Tuesday... great place to spend the morning before work.

More than likely, one of those people is peeing in the lake.

• T1: First transition area between the swim and bike: 2:26 - Actually a pretty fast time. It looks like those who won did this in about :10 seconds faster.

Running from the river to the 1st transition area. I was about to give a guy I know a high five and he yelled "no, we'll get a penalty!" I'm glad he reminded me or I would have been penalized 2:00 minutes. (racers aren't allowed contact, except unintentionally during the swim. I actually kicked several people, not on purpose)

• Bike: 46:45 (22nd) - This KILLED my time. Amongst the Top 20 finishers, my time was 19th. I dropped the Tuesday spin class for a real bike ride after work. I would drop the Thursday spin class, but my new spin class buddy, April, is way too pretty for me to skip that one.
• T2: 1:27 - Again, about average or faster than most.

Crossing finish line

• Run: 26:12 (8th) - Total surprise. I think my first 5K I ran this spring, I did it in 33:00. So I sure never thought I would finish Top 10. Even fought stomach cramps and brick-like legs for the first mile. Really happy with that aspect of the race.

I would have been Top 10 if I didn't ride my bike like a freakin' Beach Cruiser

See what happens to a pimp with a D.U.I

  AWARDS
Favorite Cousin Aword: See what I did there? That award, or aword, goes to my first cousin to donate. Thank you to Leslie and David Word for their awesome gift! You all should buy jewelry from Carthy Jewelry. Leslie is uber-talented!
Don't Wake Meghan Award: Allison Alogna is my sisters roommate. Hopefully, Allison has never woken up Meghan- her wrath is legendary. Allison not only gave a extremely thoughtful donation but she did it while on vacation! She had probably been drinking. If you've been drinking, please feel free to donate.
The Beautiful Aunt Award: My Beautiful Aunt Lucinda so generously donated last night! I wanted to give her an award that was tied to the lawn jockey she used to have in the backyard, but better judgment prevailed (I very rarely say that). Thank you, B.A.L!

Well... We have reached 50% of our fundraising goal. That means one thing.... WE'RE HALFWAY THERE!

Donations can be made right huuuur!

One Down, Two to Go!

 The Music City Triathlon, my very first ever, went really well. I hit my target time by finishing in 1:25:12. In my age group, Men 25-29, I finished 13th out of 39 racers. The results are promising, very motivating, but leaves room for a ton of improvement. Can I finish Top 5 in my age group next year? Absolutely! The race was HOT, over 1,100 racers, and it was really well put together.

See race results here.

A couple quick notes:
- I competed in the Sprint race, which is about half the distance of what I'll face in D.C at The Nation's Tri. Daunting. I've got to work my ass off these next 7 weeks.
- My swim coach from Excel Triathletes, Ashley Whitney, won the sprint! It doesn't hurt to be an Olympic Gold Medalist. Her final time was 1:06:42. What a great coach- totally well deserved!
- Speaking of swimming... the swim wasn't hard, but it wasn't easy. The D.C swim will be almost 4x times what I did on Sunday. This area needs more attention. I've added another swim day to my workout starting this week. I'll be doing open water swimming on Tuesday mornings with a triathlon group in Percy Priest Lake.

Some race photos from my phone and The Tennessean...

Here is everything I used on Sunday. There are so many items to bring that you've got to lay it all out a day ahead and run down a checklist. (Not pictured: roller skates and diaper for post-race rave)

Transition area at 6:30

Full! Transition area 7:00, just before the race

1st of the Sprint racers lining up. (Tennessean)

Before the race I befriended some real idiots who believed my name was Bethany. They were actually very supportive. (Tennessean)

End of swim leg (Tennessean)

Richard Nixon continues to inspire triathletes. (Tennessean)

AWARDS

2nd Family Award: This award goes to the family that part-raised me. Thank you so much to The Giffens! Don and Carol came in with such a generous donation and I want give Andrew a bear-sized bro hug for telling them about what I'm doing. I spent a lot of time with the Giffens growing up and they're truly an awesome family. Thanks again!

The Alley Behind Longest Avenue Award: I didn't anticipate using the Alley Behind Longest Avenue Award, but then Smith Rhodes comes in with a sweet donation last night! I love the unexpected donations. Thank you! Smith housed my sister and me last December in New York for the Kentucky-UCONN game, which was one of the best UK games all season.

Click here to donate, ya dingus!

Race Week

Want to make a donation? Click here, ya old buzzard.

Sunday marks my first triathlon as I take to downtown Nashville for the Music City Triathlon. It will help so much in preparing for the Nation's Triathlon. I got a preview of the run portion last night and ran it in 25:30, which averages to an 8:30 mile. I expect to do the same or faster on Sunday.

Metaphor for my introduction to triathlons

 The leader of this run group was out of town in Vermont where he just ran a 100 Mile Race! This guy ran for more than 22 hours. That is jaw-dropping. To be honest, I didn't know people even did that. He (name: unknown) overcame all odds: he's slow-witted, wore clunky metal leg braces as a child, went to Vietnam, actually played football at Alabama, and made millions in the shrimp industry.

Here is a quick swimming technique video featuring Lokelani McMichael, the youngest woman to ever complete the Hawaii Ironman. (I had this video up, then removed it, now it's back. I think the annoying auto-play commercial is gone) They say she is like the Anna Kournikova of triathlons because she really isn't on par with the best. Whatever. Haters. I think I'm in love.


This is Lokelani McMichael and she wears short shorts.

So, you come here often?

AWARDS

UFO AWARD: This one is for Flying Saucer Nashville, my very first bar donation! Thank you to Brandi and everyone else at Flying Saucer for helping with such an awesome gift. Truly appreciated. Everyone should go there and drink! Absolute best beer selection in Nashville.

Thanks for all of your support! If you read the blog then become a follower (to the right) and you'll get mentioned in my next post. Pretty sweet, eh?

We just passed $1,500 in donations. Click here to keep this gravy train rollin'!

Violent Swims

Yesterday we swam 800 yards in Percy Priest Lake. That's twice what I'll swim next weekend in The Music City Tri and about half of what we'll swim in The Nation's. It was my first time actually swimming in a lake, meaning it was the first time I've been in a lake without an Old Milwaukee.

I've been warned that the swim portion of a triathlon is like no other. It's a full contact sport. You'll be kicked, punched, watches will be yanked from your wrist, anklets will be torn from your leg, suits will be ripped, and people often come from the water with broken noses.

There are two schools of thought: Swim outside the pack to avoid all the contact, but end up swimming further than those inside the pack. Or actually swim in the pit and risk injury.

The Nation's swim

AWARDS:

Regulators Award: Morgan Teveit is not a lady to be messed with. She's actually pretty handy with the steel if you know what I mean (Regulators!). She's a gun tote'n, generously donatin', genuine badass... and I'm told she is also a great bowler. It's unconfirmed, but she may also look up to Walter Sobchak. Thanks for being so kind, Morgan!

Want an award. Yes, you do! Click Here and get your donate-on. 

Right now we're at 39%, I want to be at 50% by August 1st. Come on, we can for sure hit that goal! Thanks everyone!

FEED ME

Since I started training, I have been losing weight. That's not intentional- I didn't exactly have a lot of weight to lose. But with a combination of running, biking, swimming, and lifting 6 days a week it's impossible not to shed some pounds. Being so active really enables me to eat whatever the hell I want because I burn through so many calories every day. Still, I continue to eat healthy. You'll find that I eat a lot.... true, food is always on my mind. Here's what I be eatin':

Breakfast (before gym) :5AM: Rudi's organic Bagels (sometimes white, sometimes wheat) with strawberry jam.
Pre-Workout drink: These things pump you full God-knows-what and may cause my liver to fall out, but they're delicious and make me feel like a Werewolf. Plus, I'm addicted to them. I one day hope to be on Intervention for Health Junkies (or Hoarders).
Post Workout: 7:45: Protein Shake. I switch up brands to keep my body guessing.
Brunch?: 10AM: 1/3 pound lean beef hamburger on 2 pieces of whole wheat bread. Handful of almonds.

Lunch: Noon-1PM: It always varies. A lot of time it will be a bowl of cereal with a banana and protein powder mixed in. I sound like a total meat head.When I'm finished I crush the box on my skull.

Snack: 3PM-4PM: Greek Yogurt with some blueberries. Maybe another handful of almonds, plus half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on wheat. Greek Yogurt takes some getting used to, but it's got more protein than regular yogurt. I'm hooked. Try this brand:

Dinner: 6:30PM: Chicken. If you know me then you know I loves me some mothalovin chicken. I marinated some chicken last night in Trader Joe's Soyaki- Holy hell that was good. Highly recommended!

Before Bed: 10:30: Protein shake. Keeps me from waking up in the middle of the night with an empty stomach.
Add to any meal: Roasted Red Pepper Hummus. Everyday! Either have it with some pita chips, put it on a sandwich, or dip some grilled chicken in it. I tried the Artichoke Hummus and it tasted like baby poop. Stick with the Red Pepper, unless your affinity for baby boom-boom is too strong to deny.

Junkin' Out: The term I use for absolutely going bananas on a Chinese Buffet or eating a large pizza by myself. I do this once a week and it's faaaaantastic.

Awards:

Shayne Train Award: This goes to Nichola, Chris and Shayne for their generous donation early this week. Thanks you all! Did you know that Nichola uses Shayne as a space heater in the winter? It's true! I held her once and could not stop sweating. That's a hot baby!

Thank you to Carrie for following the blog! Carrie is on our Tuesday night kickball team and won't hesitate to yell profanities at us for botched plays. She's the Marty Schottenheimer of kickball (I hope at least one person got that). Actually, she's a badass right fielder!

Thanks for taking the time to read about what's inside my stomach. Make sure to visit my fundraising page. I need more donations- Click here!

Gotta Be The Shoes!

Here's a short story from last weekend: Walked into the basketball gym last weekend to find a dozen dwarfs playing basketball. At first I thought God was smiling down on me- I've always had to play point guard. I was ready to get my Dikembe Mutumbo on! Then there were more dwarfs at the pool the next day at a completely different gym. Turns out they were in Nashville for Dwarf Athletic Association of America's 24th National Games (click for article). Finally, I can post this picture with some relevancy to what I'm talking about. Unfortunately, no mullets were spotted.

Got some great donations this week! Thanks you all, we're making excellent progress. Click here to donate.
Awards
Bill and Melinda Gates Award: This one goes to the first couple to donate. Brooks and Valarie forced me to run from their house to prove I was actually training for this thing. I had never pulled a rickshaw before. Thanks Val and Brooks!!
Bono Award: This award is given to whoever gets the award immediately following the Bill and Melinda Gates Award. Beau Barker came in with a huge donation! Couldn't believe it- I really appreciate how generous Beau was. Bonno Barker.

Brooks, Beau, and Valarie. Persons.

Please Don't Put That On My Fundraising Wall Award: Zack was super thoughtful and not only gave the first bizzaro amount ($82.27 donation) but he also donated it in the name of his pseudo-Presidential alias Tittie Roosevelt. That name is forever engraved on my fundraising wall. So I got that goin' for me, which is nice.

Also, Thanks to the followers of my blog! I see Sylvia and Lil Carrico jumped aboard. Who is the QueenCityGal? You are so mysterious. Perhaps that's why I can't sop thinking about you. Meghan, Christy, and Nichola are still following along, too!

More training this weekend! A ride tomorrow morning possibly followed by a run, which is called a "brick." Not sure why they call it that, probably because your legs feel like bricks. Sunday I'll run 5 miles.

Here's another motivational video. This girl is a badass. Watch and enjoy. Donate Here.

4th Of July Weekend - -Finding Motivation

I had to cancel my 7am Saturday ride because I felt awful after Friday night. I had to postpone my Sunday run because I felt awful after Saturday night. It's what happens when you mix friends, birthdays, holidays, the lake, 80's dance clubs, and beer all into one weekend. I stayed in on the 4th specifically to feel good on Monday.

Is it easy to stay motivated for training? Hell no! Whenever I derail like last weekend or I just don't feel like wakin' up at the booty crack of dawn, then I take to the interwebs in search of some motivation! Finding motivational videos really does work for me. It doesn't matter where you find your motivation. Whatever helps! This video is goosebump material.



Monday I got a gym workout in and then I hit Shelby Bottoms Park at noon for a hot 3.5 - 4 mile run.

Shelby Bottoms is two minutes from my house and is awesome for running/biking/skipping. There are paths along the river and well maintained trails throughout. I'm also constantly thinking of what I would do if an attacker jumped out of the woods- I'm the Charles Bronson of running.

 I wish somebody would

This morning was spin class and then I worked out for another hour. Tomorrow is swimming. Thursday I'll repeat my Tuesday workout. This is getting repetitive....and you may have fallen asleep.

My Fundraising Page. Click it. Do it!

July 25 - The Warm Up

Just signed up for the Music City Triathlon! The course I'm doing is called a Sprint and is half as long as the Nation's Triathlon. I've never done a triathlon before so the whole point of this is to know what to expect in September. The Music City Tri will help with my transitions- the phases of the race in between the swim, bike, and run (often overlooked during training)- as well as familiarize me with the day-of events and will diagnose areas that need work before the Big Race in September.
FUN FACT: We'll be swimming in the Cumberland River. The same Cumberland river I watched police pull a dead body out of last September! I hope they've disinfected.

The Music City Triathlon is made a big move to downtown Nashville in 2009. Based on rave reviews, the event will be in the same location with the same courses for 2010. Team Magic has managed the Music City Triathlon since 2006, but it has been around for 32 years in 2010.

As for the basics - the event is staged on the east side of the Cumberland River in the area around LP Field, home of the NFL Tennessee Titans. The swim will be in the Cumberland River, starting and finishing from the east side - not a point to point swim, but a rectangular type course. Thanks to TDOT - the bike course will be a two-loop 20k course totaling 40k on Ellington Parkway, which is a short hop from the stadium on downtown streets. Ellington Parkway will be completely closed to traffic during the event. The run course will be a two-loop 5k course totaling 10k of running a nice mix of the east side and the west side of the river in the downtown business district.

 Again, the generosity has been awesome! Here are a few awards:

The Perfect Strangers Award: This goes back to "It's not what you know, it's who you know" and in this case it's "... who you know, who knows who you know." A huge thank you to Mike Iriarte who donated all the way from San Fransisco and has worked with Team in Training as well. Also, an enormous appreciation for the donation by Fred McDaniel. Obviously when people you've never met are kind enough to help it hits you by complete surprise. Thanks guys! I'm not sure who wants to be Cousin Balki and who wants to be Larry Appleton. Cousin Balki was an 80's comic sensation, so you all can fight over that.

Rhonda Hodges even surprised me with an awesome donation late last week as well.One Thanksgiving during college, Rhonda and the rest of the Hodges were kind enough to take me in! This was after my own family told me that Thanksgiving was going to be celebrated at the beach, but there weren't enough frequent flier miles to get me there. 
The infamous Kate Miller checked in with a sweet donation! Have you seen Kate's impression of Marla Hooch from A League of Their Own? You're in for a treat! I love Kate. I love her long time.

Thanks for reading! Visit MY FUNDRAISING PAGE- it's where all the magic happens.